The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates continue their three game set this evening with a game two clash at PNC Park in Western Pennsylvania. Start time in tonight’s showdown between the two National League Central rivals is set for 7:05pm ET. MLB Odds have the visiting Cardinals listed as a -142 moneyline favorite to take this evening’s potential series decider. The Over/Under is set at 8.5 runs (Over is favored at -115 odds) and the Pirates are drawing +132 odds to record their fifth home win of the season.
The Pirates rolled into last night series opener with St. Louis fresh off a home sweep of the Cincinnati Reds, but that did not help them stave off the division leading Cardinals. Pittsburgh starter James McDonald allowed eight hits and three earned runs over 1.2 innings, helping St. Louis walk way with a 10-6 victory.
Pittsburgh, which at 6-7 trails the Cardinals by two games in the NL Central chase, will look to even the score tonight with the inconsistent Jonathan Sanchez on the hill. The left handed Sanchez is off to a brutal start with his new club, sitting at 0-2 with a 12.96 ERA and 2.28 WHIP. His last outing, a 2-10 loss at Arizona, led to the inflated numbers as he yielded eight hits and nine earned runs over 3.1 innings.
The Cardinals will counter Sanchez with veteran right hander Jake Westbrook, who is 1-1 in two starts this season despite having not allowed an earned run. While the Georgia native owns a 0.00 ERA, but his WHIP is a mediocre 1.34 thanks to 10 walks in 15.2 innings of work. Westbrook is 1-7 with a 5.28 ERA in 13 career appearances (nine starts) against the Pirates.
Pittsburgh is 7-4 in its last 11 meetings with St. Louis, and it is 3-3 in its last six games opposite the Cards at PNC Park.
St. Louis Cardinals -1.5 (+110), Over 8.5 (-115), -142 (Moneyline)
Pittsburgh Pirates +1.5 (-130), Under 8.5 (-105), +132 (Moneyline)
Baseball Betting Tips from Chuck Edel & Johnny Detroit
Chuck Edel is a well respected gambler / handicapper who appears on numerous radio shows and is frequently featured in the Las Vegas Review Journal. He sits down with Johnny Detroit and goes over some of his personal MLB betting tips.